Pollinator Initiative

Although the up-front cost is a little higher than mowed grasses, the cost savings over time due to less mowing will make it cost effective to include pollinator plantings. This also reduces fuel costs and emissions. The overall ecological benefit of the plantings will positively impact the local and global economy.

Not necessarily. Deer are attracted to freshly cut herbaceous plants. As plants are allowed to grow, they become tougher and more difficult to eat. Many varieties of flowering plants are less attractive to deer.

To deter motorists from pulling over to take photographs along the roadway, less showy flower species can be chosen to plant that are still favorites of pollinators.

Pollinators aid in the production of much of the food we eat and are required for the pollination/production of about a third of the food we eat. Pollinators are important to human health, global food webs, and protection of biodiversity. Pollinator plantings provide habitat, food, and egg-laying sites for pollinators while also preventing erosion and keeping waterways clean. Pollinators and their habitat are declining rapidly and providing additional habitat for them will help to stall the decline of their populations.

Pollinator populations are declining mainly due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation. They are also declining due to pesticides, disease/pathogens/pests, invasive species, and climate change.

It is good to plant pollinator plantings anywhere possible. However, roadways are especially useful for pollinators and Pennsylvania has a lot of roadways. Roadsides can provide habitat and forage for pollinators in areas where there may be little appropriate habitat, and provide “corridors” connecting different regions, thereby supporting pollinator movement, and allowing pollinators to access foraging resources and habitat in larger areas. Pennsylvania has more than 121,000 miles of public roads and is one of the top five states in the nation for road miles. More than 100,000 acres of roadside lands are managed in Pennsylvania. In Dauphin County, 25% of PA Turnpike property is adjacent to farmland. Having pollinator habitat adjacent to agriculture can increase agriculture production and save farmers money in pesticide costs.

Although it may seem like there are bugs everywhere, their populations are actually in trouble. In 2016-2017, 51 species of butterflies, 111 species of moths, and 3 species of bumble bees in PA considered to be at risk. USFWS has listed the rusty patched bumble bee as endangered and is currently evaluating American bumble bee, Monarch Butterfly, Regal Fritillary, and Frosted Elfin Butterfly for the endangered species list. Additionally, a lot of the bugs that are present in excess are invasive species and are out competing with the native bugs that we need to pollinate our agriculture and protect our ecosystems.